Amnesty International issued a statement, a translation of which is below.
Regarding the 20-year prison sentence for Ruben Vardanyan, the last of 16 ethnic Armenian leaders to stand trial for their role in the region prior to the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) by Azerbaijani forces in 2023, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, stated:
“The conviction of 16 defendants, culminating in this verdict against Ruben Vardanyan, is a true mockery. The fact that Ruben Vardanyan and others, including several civilians like him, were convicted in a military court raises grave concerns and is incompatible with fair trial principles.” The victims of the long-running conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, in both Armenia and Azerbaijan, deserve truth, justice, reparations, and guarantees of non-recurrence, while these sentences are an insult to all victims of crimes prohibited by international law.
The trials of Ruben Vardanyan and other defendants, charged with a wide range of extremely serious crimes, were held virtually in secret. The charges were based on “evidence” presented by the defendants in a language they did not understand and which was not properly translated. More than 40 charges against Vardanyan alone, including “terrorism” and “crimes against humanity,” were not even made public during the trial. Amnesty International requested information about the trial and evidence from the Azerbaijani authorities but received no response.
“Azerbaijan must fulfill its obligations under international human rights law and ensure that all persons accused of crimes are tried in full compliance with international law and fair trial standards.”